Where can I find Sikhi Books?
Amazon has massive catalog of books available but there are many other options to source books to read that are better from a cost perspective and don't skew towards newly published, mainstream books. Some key questions to ask yourself while figuring out where to source your book include: Do I need to own this? Will I read it more than once? Will I use it for reference purposes? Being able to search among the text can make a digital format preferable.
Finding books in-person
- Local Gurdwara libraries.
- Gurfateh Sewa Center, Sacha Sauda, Sikh Virasat. In the Greater Toronto area these three resource centres have books about Sikhi sourced locally and from Punjab.
- Your local library.
- The bookshelves of your families and friends. This is a great source for books that are no longer in print if they're willing to lend them.
- Traditional book stores, including your local independent shops and larger chains. Each can order books on your behalf if they don't ordinarily carry a title.
- Used book stores - out of print and rare books can be found in the religion section. Sikhi-books may be miscategorized or mislabelled and non-Sikhi books such as Sant Mat and other spiritual traditions may also be miscategorized as seen below.
Finding Sikhi books online
- Each of these websites host vast archives of written material including books: Sikh National Archives, Panjab Digital Library and Archive.org
- Direct from publishers of Sikhi books like Khalis House or Saffron Press.
- Direct from authors. The ease of launching an online store has made it much easier for authors to take on the distribution of books without being dependent on traditional publishers and book stores. Author websites are a good place to check if they sell books direct to consumers.
- Overdrive, Libby and Bibliocommons are great sources of digital books that can be borrowed from your local library. Your local library may also subscribe to other catalogs as well.
- eBooks and Audiobooks from Kindle, Kobo, Apple or Google Play.
What others sources do you use?